The pharaoh or the tombrobber
by Willow-Yanagi
Summary: Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic in ancient Egypt with Atem and tombrobber Bakura


Laughter of young children caught your attention . Two small boys were playing tag on the rooftops a bit further down the road. They ran and jumped from one rooftop to another. They went fast and with ease, but careful not to jump between two houses, for that would be a nasty fall since those houses were at least four stories high.

'Ipy! Where's that water I asked you for? Your brother and I are parched!' Your father yelled and wiped some sweat from his brow as he sat down on a small wooden chair. He lay down his mallet, a big hammer, beside him and lay his last mall filled with a mixture of mud and chopped straw on the edge of the rooftop. Ahmosa sat down beside him on the ground, leaning against the edge of the rooftop and let out a sigh of fatigue. Ahmosa was your older brother and clearly you father's favorite. You poured cooled water into two stone cups and walked towards them, not making the slightest effort to hurry. You handed each of the men a cup, they greedily drank it within less than five seconds and immediately demanded for more.

'Kebu! What did I tell you?' Your mother walked up the stairs and stepped onto the rooftop, placing her hands on her hips challengingly. She gave your father a firm look. Your father muttered something inarticularly, clearly knowing what she meant.

'Tiye, honey...' he started.

'Don't you honey me, Kebu!' She pointed a threatening finger at him. 'I told you, you shouldn't let your own daughter serve you like a slave or something. If I catch you doing that one more time, you won't get off this easily, honey.' She practically spit the last word at him as she turned around arrogantly to face you.

'Sweety, come into town with me? I still need to go to the market to buy some food for tonight's dinner.' She smiled at you. Even though she still looked amazingly beautiful for her age, you could see the lines by the corners of her eyes and mouth betray she was passed 30.

You were clearly your mother's favorite. It was always the men versus the women in your family. That would often bring its tense moments and heavy fights, but most of the time you all shrugged it off and laughed about it in the end.

You shrugged your shoulders and put on your sandals, following your mother downstairs. The first staircase ended into the hallway on the top floor. Beautiful white marmer tiles lay on the ground and they spread further over the entire floor. This floor was occupied by your parents. To the right of the hallway was your mother's room and on the left your father's. It was custom for men and women to sleep seperately.

Further down on the next floor is where you and your brother slept. You on the right and your brother on the left, just like your parents.

Even further down, on the bottom floor, was the livingroom and the kitchen. A large wooden table surrounded by wooden chairs stood on the right. A square hole in the ground, neatly cut out to the milimeter exact, covered by white marmer tiles and a few satin pillows was in the center. There you would sit and talk after dinner or during the day when you were resting.

You greeted Huy, the servant girl as she politely bowed for you and your mother. Even though you had a servant, your mother insisted on doing the groceries and cooking herself. She loved to cook, as did she love to go out shopping. She was a wonderful cook, many incredible meals were served night after night. But the cleaning she left for the servant. Huy was but a little older than you. She was 22 and had a very striking appearance. She had long straight black hair, most of the time pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes were dark and they held a sort of mystique in them. No wrinkles were visible on her face, not even a few fine lines yet. Her lips were full and her cheekbones stood beautifully curved in her face. In the beginning she was a very shy girl, but once she got used to the family she opened up a little, especially to you and your mother.

Your mother smiled at her, then quickly grabbed her wooven basket. Your mother, a tall woman, thin and beautiful, had long dark blond hair which reached her waist. She straightened it most of the times, but when she didn't long dark curls fell gently down, dancing with every movement. Her eyes were dark blue, with an even darker edge around them. Her eyes always showed a vivid and strong personality.

She walked out the door and onto the street, her sandals making a crunching sound on the sand between the stones of the path.

'I'll see you tonighy Huy. Then we'll talk about that guy you like so much.' You moved your eyebrows up and down in a tease as you saw a light blush appear on the servants cheeks. You quickly hurried after your mother who was almost halfway there already.

You were, unlike your mother, pretty short. Your hair however was almost the same, dark blond with a few lighter highlights from the Egyptian sun. No one knew whom you got your eyes from. They were pearly, bright light blue with a darker edge around them, they dominated your entire face. Everyone with common sense would say you had absolutely beautiful eyes.

'What do you need for tonight?' you asked, almost out of breath as you had finally caught up with your mother.

'Some fresh vegetables and meat...' she mumbled as she looked around at the market stands. There were a lot of merchants on the market each day, selling all kinds of things, varying from food to clothes to utensils and weaponry. Your mother would get distracted easily on the market. You were sure you would get home with more than just some vegetables and meat. She walked up to a stand which sold scarves and dresses. She picked one from the stand and held it in front of you.

'Ipy...' she exclaimed in awe, 'this would look absolutely fantastic on you.'

'Mum...' you complainted, 'I thought we were here for vegetables.'

'I know, I know, but just look! She held a small hand mirror in front of you as she pushed the dress into your hands. You sighed and held the dress in front of you, looking into the mirror. _'It actually does look pretty good on me.' _You turned around to the sides to check yourself. The dress was made of white silk and was tight at the chest and the waist but fell down with beautiful elegance and folds past the waist. It had a large V neck and the edges crossed each other further down.

'What do you think? Looks good right?' You could see the excitement in your mothers eyes. She always loved to shop for clothing and jewellery for herself, but she loved it even more to buy it for you.

'It does, but...' you hesitated.

'What?' your mother asked.

'We can't buy it. Imagine how angry dad would be if you bought this.'

'Who cares about that grumpy old man,' she muttered and reached into a bundle strapped around her waist beneath her cloak. She took two golden coins and handed it to the merchant.

'Mum!' you exclaimed, both angry and amused.

'Oops.' She grabbed the dress, quickly folded it and put it in her basket.

'You are unbelievably stubborn.' You walked further down the market, making your way through the stream of people.

'I know,' she proudly answered and stopped at a stand with gold and silver jewellery, sat with white, red and blue diamonds. 'That silver necklace with that white crystal pendant would look beautiful on that dress.' She pointed at the necklace. You grabbed your mother's arm and dragged her to the stand with vegetables.

'Khafre?' you said surprised and released your mother's arm. The young boy with black hair till his shoulders and bright green eyes stood behind the stand.

'Good afternoon Ipy, Tiye,' he politely greeted you.

'What are you doing here on a Friday? Isn't your father supposed to be selling on Fridays?' you asked.

'Indeed, but he's ill, so I took his place today. Isn't Huy with you…?' The boy looked around hopefully.

'_She would have been if we knew you were going to be here,' _you thought irritated. Huy and Khafre liked each other, anyone could tell. He was always selling vegetables on Mondays and Wednesdays. That's when Huy went along to buy groceries. If you had known he was here today, you would have taken Huy along with you.

You looked at your mother who said, 'Huy couldn't come along today, unfortunately, but you will see her next week.'

He nodded in understanding, but you could clearly see the disappointment on his face. Your mother had already started gathering the needed vegetables and put them in the basket. You went to this stand every day for over two years now, so Khafre knew exactly what she needed and how much. And your mother knew exactly the amount she had to pay. She handed the boy a few coins and greeted him as she turned around.

'See you next week, Khafre.' You followed your mother down the road.

'Are you thirsty?' your mother asked, 'I'm thirsty. Let's get something to drink,' she added, without giving you a chance to answer, she entered a building. It was a small bar. A large rectangular stone stood a meter away from the wall and served as bar. Behind the bar was a man who served the men sitting on the chairs in front of the bar. He served wine and beer from stone barrels that stood neatly arranged behind him on the ground.

It wasn't crowded, in the corner around a table were a few men playing a game. And by the bar were two men sitting and drinking quietly. One was cloaked and you couldn't see anything of him. The other was drunk and his cheeks had turned red and his eyes dull. He looked like he was about to fall off his chair as he poured down another cup down his throat.

Your mother sat down on a chair exactly between the two men, so there were two chairs for you to pick; one next to the cloaked man or one next to the drunk man. You looked at the drunk man who was begging the barman for another drink, spitting as he spoke. You raised your upper lip in disgust and quickly sat down besides the cloaked man.

You mother had already ordered a white wine for you and herself and the barman put two cups in front of you and your mother, pouring down the clear white liquid in the cups. You nodded a thank you at the barman and took a little zip. You didn't care much for alcohol, but you learned to like white wine.

'Okay, so, when we're done here, we're going to buy that necklace we saw that matches that dress of yours,' your mother said.

You brought a hand to your forehead and shook it slightly. 'Mother, I don't even have an occasion to wear that dress, why do I need a matching necklace?'

'There is never a why when it comes to jewelry.' You mother looked genuinely astonished by your remark.

'Mother, seriously, you can't buy every necklace, bracelet or ring you see, there's a-' Your mother interrupted you.

'Don't speak such nonsense Ipy.' She took a large zip from her wine and stood up. 'Now, stay here and wait for me. I'll be right back.'

'No! Mother! Come back here!' you yelled after her, but she just waved her hand at you and took off.

'Gah! Stubborn old woman,' you muttered.

'Parents can be annoying sometimes right?' the cloaked man next to you spoke, but kept his head down. His voice sounded low, but not that old yet. You figured he was around the age of 18 or maybe 20.

'Yeah, tell me about it. I bet you she's out buying that necklace as we speak,' you replied and shook your head with an amused smile.

He looked up and let out a short laugh. For a moment there you could see his eyes and made eye-contact with him. They were a sort of purple or violet, you couldn't really tell, it was too dark to see with his cloak still on.

'So, Ipy, it's not very common for two women to come to a bar alone. Dangerous and drunk people seek out these places.'

'Is there a question there?' you asked amused.

'I was just wondering what two lovely ladies such as you and your mother were doing in this bar all by yourselves.' He reformed his sentence.

'We often come to this bar, by ourselves.' You put extra emphasis on those last two words. 'And I don't know about those dangerous people, but there's nothing my mother can't handle with her attitude.'

The cloaked man laughed at that remark and shook his head. He emptied his cup in his mouth and ordered another beer.

'So, mysterious cloaked man, you have eavesdropped on my mother and me and found out my name, so it's only fair if you tell me yours in return.' You gave him a challenging look followed by an equally challenging, but charming smile. You had long ago learned from your mother how to easily talk with guys and the charming and elegant smiles and looks came along with it.

'I wasn't eavesdropping, I merely overheard the conversation. To be perfectly honest, it was hard to miss.' He thanked the man behind the bar as he put down a new cup of beer in front of him. The cloaked man reached into his bundle and lay two coins on the bar. 'But if you insist on knowing my name, you may, it's no secret. I am called Iteti.'

'And what brings you to this town, Iteti?' you asked, as you didn't recall ever seeing such a figure before, even though he could be anyone in the city underneath that cloak, you didn't recognize those eyes and that voice.

'I am a travelling merchant. I heard this town could bring great fortune.'

'What do you sell?' you asked a little suspicious, as you hadn't seen any merchandise outside the bar and neither on him.

The man was silent for a moment. 'Why do you wish to know?' he finally answered.

'I am merely interested and trying to keep the conversation going, good sir.'

Before the cloaked man could answer, you felt a hand on your shoulder that forced you to turn around. The red face with the dull brown eyes of the drunk man was uncomfortably close to yours. 'Why don't you come with me, missy?' he spoke with a thick tongue, an overwhelming scent of alcohol came from his mouth and it almost made you nauseas. You turned your head away, trying to avoid the stench.

'I don't think so,' you replied, trying to push the man off you.

'Ah come on! It'll be fun, I'm great company.' The man brought his mouth close to your ear and whispered, 'And a great lover.'

'No thanks, I'm married.' You pushed him away as he continued to come closer.

'Why don't you leave the lady alone?' Iteti had stood up and lay a hand on the drunk man's shoulder.

'Leave me alone! It's none of your business.' He rudely shoved away Iteti's hand. He turned back to you, moving in, you weren't sure if he was trying to kiss you or if he was just falling forward. Iteti appeared behind him and pulled him backwards, throwing the man against the chairs behind him. The chair he fell upon broke and the ones behind fell over, the noise it caused made everyone in the bar look up. The drunk man sat up and grabbed the bar to pull himself to his feet. He staggered as he stood on his feet, his legs shaking as the alcohol was taking its toll. Nevertheless he pulled a dagger from underneath his cloak and pointed it at Iteti.

'You're drunk, you'll never win.' Iteti stood in front of him, his posture and voice calm.

'Yeah? But I still have an advantage, I have a dagger, you're unarmed.' The man thrust forward and attempted to stab Iteti, but Iteti simply stepped aside and grabbed the hand with the dagger in it and twisted it to the right. The man let out an agonizing scream as his hand was almost breaking and the dagger fell to the ground with a clattering sound. Iteti yanked his hand a last time and the man fell to the ground next to him.

You stared at Iteti in awe. 'How did you…?' you stammered, but were too amazed with the ease and simplicity Iteti had just knocked out that man.

'You don't expect a traveling merchant knows nothing about defending himself? There are a lot of thieves on the road and in the forests. One must learn to defend himself or die.' Iteti sat down on his chair again. The man behind the bar looked irritated by the fact his chair was broken, but obviously felt too intimidated to say something about it.

'Ipy? What happened here?' Your mother stood in the door opening. She looked a little flushed by the sight of the unconscious man on the floor.

'He.. I.. then he…' you stammered then looked at Iteti.

'That man tried to hit on your daughter, I simply stopped him.' Even though you couldn't see his face, you were sure he was smiling.

'Ipy, are you alright?' Your mother rushed to you, her expression worried.

'I'm fine mother.' You smiled, 'thanks to him.'


End file.
